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The Spruce
Let’s be honest: if your bathtub develops a crack, a few chips, or some discoloration, you're not going to be quick to toss it in the trash and grab a new one. Tub repair kits are available with a variety of materials that can help you fix up the area, prevent future damage, and blend the surface as much as possible.
Repair kits are generally designed to work with the most common bathtub materials, such as fiberglass, acrylic, or ceramic. However, it’s important to check the packaging to ensure the components are suitable for your type of tub. Bathtubs made of steel—or even tougher cast iron—and coated in porcelain enamel are less likely to suffer deep cracks in the first place, but reglazing products can still serve to enhance their surfaces.
If you’re looking to refinish a bathtub, we researched and found products for the task, along with smaller repairs, in this list of top kits. We looked for options that supplied the necessary types and quantity of materials for the fixes they're meant for, while also considering curing time and color options to help get you quickly back into a tub that's (almost) as good as new.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Bathworks Tub and Tile Chip Repair Kit
Fast-drying, easy-to-apply filler
Material and tools for multiple small repairs
Multiple color options to choose from
Not intended for large repairs or surfaces
No color matching within a package
Bathworks offers a whole line of DIY kits for complete tub refinishing, but we like the brand's Chip Repair Kit as a versatile solution for minor damage on tubs and a variety of other bathroom surfaces, such as sinks. The 4-ounce compound can repair approximately a dozen small scratches or chips the size of a quarter.
As with most resin-based filler compounds, you'll start by mixing together two separate ingredients: three parts of the primary filler and one part of the cream hardener. The mixture will harden within two minutes, so use what you've mixed to fill the damaged spot, let it dry (aided by a hair dryer if you're impatient), then sand it down with the included 120-grit sandpaper.
To finish the surface (assuming you're not doing a separate refinish of the entire area), the kit includes a bottle of waterproof repair paint and a small paintbrush to apply it with. Even with a small repair, you'll still need to wait a day for your work to fully cure and dry before you use it.
One thing to keep in mind is that the color may be slightly off, which is often a challenge for surface repair products to get precisely right. The Bathworks chip kit is available in six common color options so you can match your existing fixtures as closely as possible, but it doesn't include color mixing ingredients to adjust the hues.
Coverage Area: 10 to 12 chips | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain | Cure Time: 24 hours
Best Budget
Keeney Tub Repair Kit
Fast total curing time
Easy to mix and apply
A few color options to choose from
No surface finishing material
Kits for smaller tub repairs are generally not very costly, and we think the Gel-Coat Products Tub and Shower Repair Kit offers solid bang for your buck. You can find it in three different colors (white, bone, and biscuit) for $20 or less, though some stores may have certain colors at higher prices, depending on availability.
Like our overall best pick, the Bathworks Chip Repair Kit, this package supplies all the basic tools you'll need to fix up cracks and chips. There's the main gel-coat putty, a liquid hardener, and a stick for mixing and application. It also includes alcohol wipes for cleaning and two different grits of sandpaper after it's dry, which can take a pretty quick one to three hours.
Note that there's not an actual finish to apply at the end; there is only a polishing compound to wipe onto the area. If you happen to be refinishing your bathtub but have a few holes or chips to fill first, this kit can be a good addition to the project, especially since it doesn't add that much to the total cost of refinishing your tub. You get enough material to cover about 18 square inches—and it works for patching up fiberglass on boats, too.
Coverage Area: 1.5 square feet | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain | Cure Time: 1 to 3 hours
Best for Refinishing
Ekopel Roll On Bathtub Refinishing Kit
Very durable, high-quality finish
More user-friendly roll-on application
Less odor and toxicity than other products
Relies on extensive prep work
Primarily only comes in white
For tubs with significant discoloration, deterioration, or overall disrepair that you wish to freshen up on your own, the Ekopel Roll On kit can help make it happen. The original pour-on version of Ekopel 2K was a staple of serious home refinishing, but this newer mixture is designed for roll-on application and is much more user-friendly. You do need to provide your own rollers, paint trays, and other necessary equipment, and be aware that foam or nap rollers have the risk of leaving behind bubbles or fibers in your coating.
The kit provides plenty of material for two coats on one tub; bigger bundles are available to cover surrounding tiles as well. Mix parts A and B of the Ekopel 2K to apply the first coat, wait three to five hours until it's dry, then do the same with the second pair of compounds. You might notice some odor from the mixture, but less so than most other products. The tub should be ready to use after 24 hours, but it's recommended to wait a few weeks for a complete cure before using hair coloring or any colored products that may stain the finish.
In general, the results of tub work depend heavily on how thoroughly you've prepped and cleaned your surfaces, and that's especially true when refinishing with Ekopel. This process can include scrubbing, sanding, careful application, and covering your drain or potentially removing it.
Coverage Area: 50 square feet / one bathtub | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain, steel, cast iron | Cure Time: 24 hours
Very easy and effective application
Versatile for a variety of surfaces
Dries to the touch in 15 minutes
Multiple containers may be needed for coverage/coating
Takes a few days to fully cure
A spray-based epoxy, like Rust-Oleum's Tub and Tile Aerosol, is the way to go if you're looking for a smooth, simple process of applying a new finish to your tub. Stray marks, fibers, and other imperfections that brushes or rollers may leave behind aren't nearly as much of a concern when you're simply passing over the surface with a spray can. The fumes are strong, though, so remember to wear a mask and keep your space well-ventilated.
The 12-ounce canister, available in a white or a grayer "coastal fog" color, can treat about 15 square feet of surface area on a tub, sink, or tile floor. You can use it to refinish an entire bathtub, but be prepared to buy multiple cans for full coverage. A single layer of the finish also won't be as thick as its paint-on counterparts, so you may need to apply two or more coatings to get the protection you need.
The spray dries quickly, in about 15 minutes, but you'll need to leave the surface unused for a pretty lengthy 72 hours to fully cure. With sufficient prep work and application, it should leave your stained or scuffed area looking much improved, with less hassle than many other repair and refinishing options.
Coverage Area: 15 square feet | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain | Cure Time: 72 hours
Best for Color Matching
Fortivo Tub and Tile Repair Kit
Fast-drying, easy-to-apply filler
Material and tools for multiple small repairs
Five colors to blend into mixture
No surface finishing material
The Fortivo Tub and Tile Repair Kit aims to help with one of the trickier aspects of crack or chip repair jobs: matching the exact color of your tub. This isn’t an issue if you're completely coating your tub with a new finish of one particular color, but if you're only filling in a small area, you want it to blend in with the surfaces all around it.
With the multicolor Fortivo kit (a plain white version is also available), you get five small cups containing white, black, cream, tan, and red paints. In the included mixing bowl, you mix equal amounts of part A and part B of the main filler compound, along with tiny quantities of the colors you need, based on the tint of your tub or sink (we recommend gradually adding color, one toothpick drop at a time). There's no guarantee you'll be able to create an exact match, but it should blend better than a single preset color, for no significant added cost.
As a repair product, the Fortivo kit is similar to our best value pick, the Gel-Coat Products Tub and Shower Repair Kit, in that it's meant to address smaller chips and dents, and doesn't come with a finishing compound for after you've filled in the damage. Fortivo's compound takes longer to dry, though, with an estimated 24 hours of time to cure on average.
Coverage Area: Not listed | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain | Cure Time: 24 hours
Best for Large Repairs
Tub Repair Company Floor Crack Repair Kit
Designed to support major cracks
Comprehensive set of materials and tools
Color matching options included
Not intended for full surface refinishing
If you're looking to salvage a tub or shower with significant cracking on the floor, your best bet is a specialized set of materials like the Tub Repair Company's Floor Crack Repair Kit. When there's damage to an area of the tub you stand on, a typical patch-up won't be enough to prevent the crack from flexing under your weight and letting water in. The Floor Crack Repair Kit, as the company's "level 3" product for the most critical damage, includes expanding foam that provides support below the crack so it can hold up for long-term use.
For the rest of the repair process, you get glass putty for filling the crack, finish putty, and finishing paint with a variety of colors to blend in for color matching. Also in the package are basic tools ranging from gloves to spreaders and stirrers, as well as five types of sandpaper. Other pieces of equipment recommended to aid with the process include a power drill for injecting the support foam, an orbital sander, and a respirator for the fumes.
It's a larger investment in materials, as well as in your effort and time, with drying required in between steps, plus a final 24 hours to fully cure. If done right, though, your work can save you from the much higher costs of replacing your tub. If you need more assistance, the company offers instructional videos on their website along with phone support to help guide you through the process.
Coverage Area: Up to 9-inch cracks | Tub Compatibility: Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, porcelain | Cure Time: 24 hours
Final Verdict
For cracks, dents, and other smaller tub damage, our top pick is the widely available Bathworks Chip Repair Kit. This helpful bundle of tools and materials includes a strong two-part filler compound and a bottle of surface finish available in several color options. If you're going for a full bathtub refinishing, we suggest the Ekopel Roll On Bathtub Refinishing Kit for solid, attractive, low-odor coverage with a more DIY-oriented application method.
How We Picked the Tub Repair Kits
For this article, we looked for a variety of products geared toward helping homeowners improve their bathtubs, using some combination of supplies from the kits and their efforts and equipment. Informed by insights about the process from tub repair specialist Clayton Cooper of the Tub Repair Company, we researched crack and chip repair kits at a range of levels, along with refinishing materials with different intended methods of application (roll-on, spray-on, etc.).
We found that the results often depended heavily on the user's side of the process, so we gravitated toward options that were widely available to consumers, provided effective materials for them to work with, and offered an attractive overall value.
What to Look for in a Tub Repair Kit
Color Matching
If your goal with filling a dent or crack in your tub is to make the repair unnoticeable, the color of your materials will be a big part of that. Almost all kits are available in white as the default color, but you'll also see ones that offer off-white variations like bone or almond.
Many times, though, a pre-mixed color won't exactly match the rest of your surface, even if your tub looks like it's a basic shade. If this is a concern, consider a kit with color-matching tools included, like our pick for the best with color matching, the Fortivo Tub and Tile Repair Kit. These kits provide a selection of colored paints that you can mix into your filler or finish materials to adjust toward certain tints, like gray, tan, or red.
Usually, very small amounts make a big difference, so add color little by little. It may take some trial and error to determine how the colors blend together and how they ultimately appear when they dry.
Coverage
The mileage you get out of a tub and tile kit can vary based on your goals, but basic crack/chip repair products typically include enough filler compound for multiple quarter-sized holes or superficial cracks of a few inches.
Materials for refinishing an entire tub, on the other hand, should come in much greater quantities. The Ekopel Roll On Bathtub Refinishing Kit, for instance, which we picked as the best for refinishing, provides enough in their base package to cover a standard-size bathtub, or about 50 square feet of flat tile surface.
Just remember that the coverage of a finishing material tells you its effective quantity, but it's not necessarily all you need to cover a significant hole or a deep crack on its own. You'll need repair products suited to filling and supporting the damage before putting on a finishing coat.
"Minor cosmetic repairs, like chips out of the porcelain or the gel coat that still have a stiff backing, can be tackled by your everyday tub repair kit," says bathtub repair expert Clayton Cooper. He adds that you’ll likely need a large wall repair kit and a floor crack repair kit for bigger damages, where there is essentially a hole in your tub that's leaking water.
Application Method
Whether you're covering a full tub or a small repaired spot, you have a few options for applying the final coating, and they can have different impacts on the end result. A simple brush may work fine over smaller chips if you smooth the finish out and feather the edges. Paint rollers are common and efficient for refinishing over large areas, with some products designed to be mostly poured on and guided by a roller, spreader, or scooper.
Another option is spray application, which can be done by putting the material into a sprayer or using a spray-can product like our best spray kit, the Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Aerosol. You may need more coats for thick coverage, but it's a manageable process that tends to work well.
"We believe spraying is the best way to do a repair or a full refinish, as this is going to give you the best finish," Cooper says. "Brushes can leave brush strokes, and rollers can leave fibers (nap rollers) or air bubbles (foam rollers). For repair work, brushes and rollers will also leave hard lines that make the repair noticeable."
Drying and Curing
Any material you add to your tub will need some time to dry and harden. This includes the initial steps where a filler compound must dry before you sand it down and apply the next layer. Our best value pick, the Gel-Coat Products Tub and Shower Repair Kit, is one of the fastest to be ready with its one- to three-hour drying time, as there's no finishing stage involved.
Most finishing products, though, require an extended curing period before you can use the tub and get the surface wet. Many brands list a cure time of 24 hours, with some recommending up to 72 hours. Others also recommend avoiding colored products like hair dyes or bubble baths for a few more weeks after that. In general, expect your tub or shower to be out of commission for a day or so.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Anton Galang is a writer for The Spruce who researches, reviews, and writes about various home products, including refrigerators, water coolers, and toilets. He specializes in smart gadgets and home automation, drawing from his background in consumer technology journalism.
In creating this list of the best bathtub repair kits, he looked at over 30 options from a variety of brands, focusing on items readily available to home consumers. He closely examined each product along with instructional videos and reported user experiences to understand what the kits included, what the repair/refinish process involved, and what homeowners could expect from the finished product.
Our Experts:
- Clayton Cooper, owner of the Tub Repair Company, a Missouri-based provider of bathtub repair services, kits, and DIY support